Access can do great things, on a short time frame and with a smaller budget than other technologies. If your client can’t see the benefits of your work it’s your responsibility to step up and show them how your work output should be considered as part of a profit center. Here’s how:
— Perform a payback analysis
Nothing shows you’re value more then a ROI analysis of your work. If you did your due diligence during the discovery phase you should have a good grasp of the business problem you’re solving, now dig deeper and determine how much money you will save your client with a great Access solution.
— Can’t quantify savings? How about improved customer service? Productivity? Ability to expand?
Don’t short sell yourself if the ROI is difficult to come by, sometimes it’s hard to come up with an analysis that will show bottom line dollars, if that’s the case then aim for the intangibles: Does your app improve customer service? Can the firm do more with the same amount of people? Will the database prepare the company for growth going forward?
— Avoid the “L” word
It pains me to say it, but some executives I’ve worked with have mentioned “Layoffs” when seeing the improvements our firm can bring them. I prefer the “doing more with the same amount of people” analogy myself. You always want buy-in from the team helping you at your client, so avoid terms that will produce anxiety.
— Think of your work as a Profit Center
Many times it’s very easy to quantify savings…and so I always use the word “Investment” when referring to the cost of our work: “Your investment for this project will be…” is a line you will see at the end of my proposals.
Always view yourself in the right light and close more deals for your practice, get started today!
